Imaginary Maps is a poetry collection by Darrell Epp. Darrell Epp has been published in dozens of magazines around the world, including Poetry Ireland, Dalhousie Review, Tulane Review and Maisonneuve.
Here are some sample poems:
Sweet Enough
alien abductions are on the rise,
according to the new york times.
what’s more, ufo’s change lanes
without signaling. the earth has
other problems as well: tourists
kidnapped in distant deserts, my
broken shoelace. i stare at your
high school yearbook photo and
wait for it to reveal its secrets. i’m
thinking of a baby bird, thrashing
its way out of the egg. morning will
come, count on it. tomorrow’s sun
will astonish and change us like a
raymond chandler simile, sweet
enough to make the whole world cry.
Valentine
one mirror
batteries not included.
a staircase of smoke
ascending into nowhere.
the dreams of a cloud.
a surgeon removes a
tumor while blindfolded.
you want a baby but have
to settle for a spider plant.
the stars look so cute from
the balcony, up close they’re
spinning screaming hells.
when we run out of words
we realize we don’t need
words. let’s stay in tonight,
this town is full of pickpockets.
For John Wayne
black and white movie
in which a cowboy hat
stalks and eventually
blows away his bank-
robbing twin brother.
the hats are cool but it’s
the supporting characters
i really notice: the empty
shot glasses (hats drink
straight from the bottle),
pistols that giggle
to each other when the
sheriff isn’t looking,
sweaty garter belts,
the mob of grandfather
clocks chattering with
both hands over their faces.
This Absence
trees with leaves like tin foil,
the ache of yesterday’s
pleasures remembered,
plus all the rest of it tied
up in a boy scout knot.
clear skies and days that
end with a ‘y’ so far away,
life is harder than it looks.
this absence will outlive
me, nothing ever ends.
Kissing Piranhas
‘it’s not what you meant to do,
it’s what you did that i don’t like’
is what you say in front of the bingo
parlor and hey, how many bingo
parlors does one downtown need?
the cars all wish they were horses.
the trains wish they were mighty
godzillas. and what do you wish?
to be a cockroach, with your bones
on the outside, your thin skin under
a hard shell? that might work better
for you than zoloft and/or placebos,
but i’m no doctor. piranhas french-
kiss in the water that’s risen to my
knees and i’m not going anywhere:
everybody knows i was here first.
Here's a blurb from David Gilmour, author of The Film Club and How Boys See Girls:
"Darrell Epp's poetry is just bursting with artistry, but you only notice the magic, never the technique behind it. These are, quite simply, marvelous poems‹poetry that's actually fun to read. Open up the book, read a few pages. You'll see for yourself...And if you ever get caught in the subway between stations, try to sit beside a guy like the guy who wrote these poems."
Here's a link to Darrell Epp reading some poems:
http://www.authorsaloud.com/poetry/epp.html
Here's a long and strange (in a good way!) interview between Pablo D'Stair and Darrell Epp, talking about Imaginary Maps and art in general:
http://predicatemag.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/predicate-darrell1.pdf
Imaginary Maps can be purchased here http://www.amazon.com/Imaginary-Maps-Darrell-Epp/dp/1897109326/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270736251&sr=8-2
or here
http://www.amazon.ca/Imaginary-Maps-Darrell-Epp/dp/1897109326/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270737734&sr=8-1
NO RISK GUARANTEE! If you buy the book and honestly don't dig it, email the author for a refund. You've got nothing to lose!
READ THE BOOK FOR FREE! Ask your local library to order a copy. Have the librarian contact the publisher, Signature Editions, at signature@allstream.net to enquire about the library discount.
Contact the author at darrellepp@hotmail.com
Have a good day.
